Targeting dormant cancer cells in myeloma

Details

Multiple myeloma is the second most common blood cancer and remains essentially incurable. Chemotherapy is effective at reducing tumour and extends survival, but it never fully eradicates disease, so patients face inevitable relapse. To find a cure for myeloma,

new treatments that can target the remaining chemotherapy-resistant cells are needed. One reason myeloma is difficult to treat, is that when myeloma tumours grow in the bone marrow some cancer cells become dormant when in contact with bone. While dormant and

not cycling, they are resistant to most conventional chemotherapeutics. Our team has exciting new data that a novel anti-cancer therapy can kill dormant myeloma cells. Our next goal is to identify the mechanism through which these drugs kill dormant

myeloma cells to identify drug combinations that enhance killing of dormant myeloma cells. This project will (1) identify vulnerabilities of dormant myeloma cells and (2) determine how to exploit vulnerabilities therapeutically. We will use cutting-edge in vivo models of

myeloma dormancy and chemotherapy-resistant relapse, alongside 2D and 3D co-culture and models of dormancy to discover mechanisms and test therapeutics. Our team uses single cell techniques including single cell RNA sequencing, metabolomics, full spectrum

flow cytometry and immunofluorescence microscopy alongside molecular biology techniques to investigate roles of the DNA damage response, cellular metabolism and intracellular signalling with the microenvironment. The project will be performed in the Cancer and Bone Lab, led by Dr Alanna Green (Division of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine and Population Health).

Entry Requirements:

Candidates must have a first or upper second class honours degree or significant research experience.

How to apply:

Please complete a University Postgraduate Research Application form available here: www.shef.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/apply

Please clearly state the prospective main supervisor (Dr Green) in the respective box and select School of Medicine & Population Health -Oncology & Metabolism as the department.

Enquiries:

Interested candidates should in the first instance contact Dr Alanna Green ([email protected]). You should describe why you are interesting in this project, any skills you have that may be relevant and provide a CV.